Terrified of Thunder

[megan_kat22]

I know I ask a ton of questions on here , but I need some help once again.

Whenever there is even the tiniest bit of thunder Tripp goes bonkers. He starts panting uncontrollably and whining and just throwing a tantrum. He acts so scared.

Does anyone have any tips on how to calm him down?? He drives himself crazy (and us too!)!

[kalina82]

what do you do when he starts this behavior?

[megan_kat22]

We talk to him and hold him, sometimes carrying him around the house trying to calm him down. It works for a little bit but not long

[kalina82]

just as i thought. you are aiding in his feelings of panic by babying him while he's carrying on. you need to stop doing that. When he starts whining and complaining calmly tell him 'its alright, settle down' and then ignore him. don't go over to him and baby talk him, pick him up, or make a big deal about it. your just encouraging more of the behavior. he whines and complain and you give him lots of attention and carry him around the house. its exactly what he wants. try to be calm when he does this the next time and don't baby him. just tell him its ok and to settle down.

[shecass]

Originally Posted by megan_kat22

I know I ask a ton of questions on here , but I need some help once again.

Whenever there is even the tiniest bit of thunder Tripp goes bonkers. He starts panting uncontrollably and whining and just throwing a tantrum. He acts so scared.

Does anyone have any tips on how to calm him down?? He drives himself crazy (and us too!)!

Mollie does this as well. She doesn't throw a tantrum but, she does pant uncontrollably. We just hold her until the storm passes. If it's real bad I would talk to my vet maybe they can give him a light tranquilizer to help him stay calm.

Wish I could be of more help.

Let us know what you decide to do.

[megan_kat22]

Ok, thanks guys. I'm hoping he will get better but I'm not sure, he is so stubborn

[carolina yorkie]

Both my babies do the same thing. Jolene barks and shakes uncontrollably and Biscuit will bark and run around constantly. Jolene has also been know to have accidents, no matter where she is, when it thunders. During the summer, we have evening storms almost every day, so it can be difficult. I have had GREAT success with Bach's Rescue Remedy, four drops in the mouth at the first crack of thunder and they settle down in just a few minutes. It is all natural and really does work. Good luck.

[abbie's mom]

Originally Posted by carolina yorkie

I have had GREAT success with Bach's Rescue Remedy, four drops in the mouth at the first crack of thunder and they settle down in just a few minutes. It is all natural and really does work. Good luck.

Jen ~ I'm SO glad you reminded me about the Rescue Remedy I have sitting in my pantry! Wish I'd remembered it last night with the thunder storms, here!

[Erin]

You can also do a couple of things. Play a game with some fun treats only when it gets stormy. Or fill Kongs with a special treat and give them only during a storm. This will make your dog look forward to good things that happen during storms.

I agree with making it no big deal. Yawn a lot. Ignore the storm. Try to play with your dog. Definately don't carry him around. That just rewards him for being scared.

Loki acts wierd during storms too. Not too differently, but he likes to sit next to us and normally he'd rather be playing or whatever. We usually just give him a bully stick and sit with him and watch TV and he's fine.

[Katys mom]

Since we have wild storms with hail here and we can't always be home when they happen we took special care to teach Katy that it is ok. Since she was a pup we have always gone out to the garage set up a couple of chairs and watched the storms. We were calm and saying things like ohhh that was pretty to lighting strikes. (Of course we were in the garage out of harms way.) Katy has learned to sit under our chairs or in our laps and watch them too. Now when it storms it is no big deal.

[YorkieRose]

Emee is 5 months...last evening we had some loud thunder..she jumped and barked at the windows for a few minutes..I ignored her, Kate ignored her and she was fine. Kate has already been trained not to react...

...dogs take cues from the Leader of the Pack..if you go about your business as normal, they will also.....can you imagine when I had a large kennel, if they were of all freaking out...I learned to ignore them early on in the game...

It is not too late to retrain....I have boarded Yorkies who needed medication for loud thunder...never had to give it to them....get a tape of thunder and practice, works well.

[SnowWa]

I agree that rewarding your dog with attention, affection, and concern when he is showing fear will only encourage that sort of behavior.

Neither of my dogs are the least bit fearful of thunder storms - so I haven't had to deal with this.

BUT - I think what I would try (which may not be so much fun for you) is just get the leash out and go for a walk - admist the storm. Move briskly along with yourself being in full control - showing no fear whatsoever. I think this might do several things. It would help your pup spend some of his fearful energy - it would provide him with a leader that is not afraid - and it will also show him that there is nothing to be afraid of. ---

I'm saying this because my children (ages 2 and 3) used to be afraid of storms. Finally, we decided to meet them head on and went outside and played in the rain. Afraid at first, they were soon running around, getting wet, having fun, and learning that the thunder and lightening weren't so bad after all. (Of course, this was a summer storm - but that's when we get our worst thunder storms.) The end result was that the children's fear of these storms quickly went away....especially because they realized that I wasn't afraid at all. We all came in looking like drowned rats, but they were no longer afraid of thunder and lightening storms.

Good luck! Carol Jean